By Uzor Odigbo
University of Benin (UNIBEN) and Communities around will witness the launch of SWEEP Foundation Green Varsity Project on December 12th in Edo State.
The Green Campus Project will be officially flagged off at the University of Benin on Tuesday 12th December 2023 in collaboration with the University of Benin and Natural Eco Capital, as the local implementing partner.
Plastics decompose very slowly as it tend to stick around if not recycled properly.
President/ CEO SWEEP Foundation Amb. Philip Obuesi, in a press statement noted that higher education institutions as change agents in society play a central role in supporting students to forge more sustainable and inclusive societies necessary to tackling plastic pollution.
The statement reads: “With each student producing approximately 0.59kg of waste, University campuses/communities produce approximately 1,062,000kg of waste materials daily of which 12% is recyclable waste.
“Consequently, University campuses/communities therefore suffer from indiscriminate waste disposal habits of staff and students, occasioned by low – level awareness, and inadequate drainage infrastructure. (Dumping of refuse along street corners within campuses, around hostels, lecture rooms and halls of residence thereby constituting serious environmental health hazard as these serve as home for vermin such as flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and other vectors of infectious disease).
“To address these challenges, University campuses will need comprehensive recyclable waste management programs that provide tracking, reporting, and awareness for the benefits of University communities.
“The Green Campus Project will implement a Recyclable Waste Reduction Program that will establish sustainable recyclable drop-off points (recycle Banks) and deployment of mobile recyclable collection receptacles across selected University campuses while, at the same time, providing sustainable livelihood opportunities for students and youth resident around target campus communities.
“Through the initiative and collaboration with other education organizations and funded by The Coca Cola Foundation, The Green Campus Project seek to provide waste and environmental education, establish University campus community drop-off points/infrastructure (community recycling hubs), and using this as a sustainable means of livelihood for the campus community youth.
“Committed to the World without waste through improved collection of discarded plastic bottles, campus community recycling outreach campaigns;.
“To this end, The Foundation is funding a pilot Campus-Wide Collection Scheme. The Green Campus Project will cut across Five (5) Universities and their communities including University of Ibadan, University of Benin, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, University of Portharcourt and Obafemi Awolowo University.
“The Green Campus Project as an initiative developed by SWEEP Foundation and funded with grants from The Coca Cola Foundation hopes to among other things, Help undergraduates learn about environment and conservation, help Campus administrators lower garbage related costs, reduce the amount of garbage burned or buried in the ground, lower or totally eliminate need for garbage incineration on campus, support 250 students in campus-based recycling/waste collection, establish recyclable waste drop-off centers across the campus, help University campuses/communities embrace recycling, 250 youth collectors/recyclers gain livelihood opportunities collecting PETs/managing drop-off centers, help in reducing the number of infectious disease on Campus and finally help in eliminating waste blocking campus drainage systems.
“Through this initiative, The Coca Cola Foundation in collaboration with SWEEP Foundation and Recycledge, its local implementing partner in Ibadan will be mobilizing corporate businesses, government agencies, the media and other stakeholders to harness the power of partnership in addressing the plastic waste challenge in the Universities and its surrounding communities.”